Don't Count Those 2014 Chickens Just Yet

obama claims that the Healthcare.gov website is fixed, and the media mindlessly parrots his claim.

Republicans counterattack, hoping to make political hay while the sun shines on the dysfunctional website.

Short term, that seems like a sound strategy. obama's approval numbers have nosedived, and the republicans have taken the lead on a generic congressional ballot for 2014.

In the meantime, however, there remains the potential for this whole thing to blow up in the republicans' face. There is a large backlog in pending legislation that must be passed by year-end.

With less than a month before the New Year, doctors who treat Medicare patients don't yet know how much the government will reimburse them, parents aren't sure if their local Head Start program will turn away students, civilians in the military don't know how many days they could be furloughed, and families can't yet estimate the price of milk.

All because Congress hasn't finished its work on must-pass legislation.

Furthermore, that whole flustercluck concerning the federal budget that shut down the government a few months ago is again looming on the horizon.

Congressional budget talks have entered a pivotal phase ... The marquee issue is more forced spending cuts, or sequester, set to take effect in mid-January.

Does anyone seriously expect a valid long-term solution to these problems in the short time remaining between now and year end?

Me neither.

And guess which party will be blamed for any loss of services, sequester, shut down, or any other reduction in the goodies distributed by the government that the blood-sucking leeches have come to expect?

That's on top of the GOP's historic proclivity to shoot themselves in the foot.

So take those rosy optimistic projections of a 2014 republican gain in power with a great big grain of salt. Time and the media are against it.